We all have the awareness that the media influences our body image and often sabotages our ability to learn self-love and self-acceptance. Every year there seems to be a different diet to try to help us feel better and lose weight.
I remember when I was in college, my entire family decided to go on the Atkins diet. The amount of meat at every meal felt eerily beastly. It was too much for me. Somewhere inside of myself I knew this diet wasn't for me, even though I tried for about a day. I watched my family shrink into a strange, deflated version of themselves, lacking color and vitality. It only took about a year to watch them inflate again.
That got me thinking about diet, the kind of foods we choose to eat and how that food does express itself in the glow and coloring of the skin and hair. We are what we eat, there is no doubt about that. But it is more than that, we are also eating the energy and emotions of the land, the people who handled the food, and the chemicals (or lack-there-of) that were used.
In this blog, I want to talk about the downward spiral that dieting has in the evolution of the soul.
Every belief, perception, or fear we carry is like a computer program, downloaded into the cells. The emotions tied to these belief systems create the vibration in our body that will resonate with others sharing the same program. Conscious Healing helps us to unravel these programs away from the true authentic nature of your body. Some of these perceptions help us to vibrate at our best self, but others can create a vibration that lowers our vitality and ability to live free, loved, and happy.
I have a sweet tooth! I've been on many detox diets and the one substance that is difficult for me to eliminate is sugar! The Native Americans called it the "White Death"- along with flour - before they even knew of its existence. (I'd like to find a reference for this, but I was unsuccessful) They felt the White people were going to introduce something to their culture that would be deadly. Diabetes now runs rampant in the Native American gene pool.
However, what if the body was reacting to this belief system? If we say to our body, "What I am eating is bad for me, will make me fat and ugly, and I should feel guilty and ashamed for what I am putting into my mouth." - then we are doing is validating the program that this food is damaging. Therefore, the body responds to this vibration frequency and the intricate physiological processes begin to respond to that program.
Questions I ask myself, Where did this food come from? Was it clean? Is it organic? Was it prepared with love? How were the animals treated? If I choose to eat something that may not adhere to my belief system then my body responds and I feel sick, bloated, and guilty for the brief pleasure.
Sometimes our belief systems tell us we will be fat, ugly, no one will like us, we won't get that job, boyfriend, girlfriend, bathing suite - this can become a laundry list spiraling us out of a conscious connection with our body, mind, soul... and our food! Whenever we eat with these emotions running in the background, we will eat on autopilot, "unconsciously", swallowing emotions that aren't in alignment with our vibrant truth.
You are beautiful just as you are, however you grow, shape, change, and evolve. You are like a majestic tree growing in the forest. We don't ever criticize how a tree grows, why do we do this to ourselves? Because the program we downloaded as children hold the belief that we need to be something different than we are right now. This belief says to us, "If you don't look a certain way then you are not perfect, lovable, or being our best self."
Whenever I am in a situation where I know the food isn't clean, but I am choosing to eat it anyway, I say, "Happy Buddha!" When I see that fat Buddha belly statue smiling with such a childlike grin, I can't help but to smile and feel my own inner child light up. It puts me into a place of acceptance of myself, that my body and my choices are perfect in this moment. I will say a prayer to the food honoring the animal, plant, farmer, driver, factory worker, chef (whoever laid hands on this food) and send a vibration of love and gratitude for the interconnection we all share. I send an image of pink light around my plate, blessing what is before me, thankful for the conveniences and inventions that made it possible for me to taste the delights of our beautiful earth.
When we look at food and eating as a sacred act to experience the wonderment of this world, the experience nourishes the heart instead of the shadow-sided mind. The creativity of our fellow humans to invent such delectable morsels becomes the focus rather than our body image. Taking the time to hold reverence for what we put into our body creates a vibration in the cells to be grateful and nourished by the love of the earth.
If you were a cell, wouldn't you rather get the message from the heart that this food is beautiful, makes me happy, and I am grateful. It is the same as expressing to a child a bit of encouragement. The cells physiology will respond to these feelings and actually create a shift in your metabolism, absorption of nutrients, and the ability to digest. You may not notice it right away, and you may not lose weight from this perception, but you will enjoy the moment so much more.
Choosing to go on a diet because you think you aren't already perfect is the downward spiral into subconscious sabotage for other avenues of your life. This kind of thinking shuts down the heart and creates the cascading effect that you are not okay. But at this moment, you ARE perfect just as you are. We learn this from the trees, Buddha, Jesus, and all the other deities that guide our belief systems. You are perfect just as you are, you are a miracle just as is the food on your plate.
Starting this type of self-loving, connecting intention will organically help you choose better food. You will start to feel the vibration of foods and feel the difference when something was honored and when it is not. This is the type of diet that will honor yourself, humanity, and this earth - to choose a Sacred Relationship with Food.
Our body may just change in the process because instead of deflating it with deprivation and control, you are filling it with love.
So, next time you eat that ice cream, say "Happy Buddha", put your hand over your belly and imagine all the beautiful people, animals, and land that made it possible for you to experience such a miraculous sensation in this physical body. Let this gratitude be swallowed with every bite.
Happy Buddha!
Leave a comment at the bottom and share what you experienced when you ate as a Happy Buddha!
Sahara